Thursday, May 11, 2006

More new gear

Once again, from the Running Gear Geek's Corner, I picked up a couple of new toys yesterday:

First, I got a new pair of sunglasses for running. I am kind of excited about the Julbo Magic shades, and I never would have heard about these sunglasses were it not for a review I read in Trail Runner Magazine. The Julbo Magic has 4 sets of interchangable lenses (clear, amber, gray, mirrored) that you can customize to your liking for different light conditions. It took me a little while to figure out how to change the lenses (there were no instructions!). But once I did, the process was pretty easy. I am particularly happy to have the amber len option because those should be great for lower light conditions when running through the woods. It comes with a virtually bulletproof case, too. Best of all, it was half the price of the last set of Oakleys I bought (which have only 1 set of permanent lenses!). These are going to be great.

Second, I got a new watch. Or should I call it a "wrist computer?" The HighGear Axis has a ton of features. Of course, it tells you the time and has a stopwatch. In addition to that, it will save my last 20 run times. It tells the temperature, too. The Axis also has a compass, an altimeter (that will also track accumulated and maximum altitude), and it measures the barometric pressure in an effort to predict the weather. Right now I can tell you the temperature reading is not exactly spot on because it picks up the body heat generated from your wrist! And, the altimeter does need to be calibrated often because it relies on the barometric pressure, so you need to set it before you intend to use it. But the barometer is right on the money when comparing it to my local weather information on the National Weather Service website. It will be fun to see how this performs, because there are some cool bells and whistles. I look forward to trying it out over the summer.

About Me

I'm an avid runner, and I enjoy running in road and trail races. When I am not running, I can be found cooking, reading cookbooks, enjoying a glass of wine, taking a hike, going on a road trip, or simply enjoying TV!